The whole family came to Sunday lunch, which went very well. Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding etc, followed by Proper Steamed Sponge Puddings and custard. As traditional English as you can get. Jam sponge and chocolate sponge, and almost everyone had a little bit of both.
Later, I went and played on the Ups and Downs with Zerlina, Gus and Rufus and, after they had all gone home, I was tired out. I had a bath and came down again and couldn't really stay awake. Asked if I was hungry, I had to say I'd rather go straight to bed, which I did before 8.30 in the evening. The cooking did take a lot of effort, but I swung into action with energy and good cheer (the potatoes just didn't want to roast and I had to fry them into crispness in the end) and I was vastly grateful that LT took over all the jobs that weren't actual cooking - including hoovering, sorting out drinks, tidying, lighting fires ... honestly, he just cracked on and took all the burden - but, though I wasn't at all tired all day, I just unravelled by 7 o'clock. I'm old, darlings. I don't mind being old, I've always had a good many older friends and I've always appreciated them, but it can be a bit disconcerting to feel the age one actually is.
Anyway, the Baby Belling cooker not having quite come up to scratch in terms of potato roasting, I've ordered a new table-top cooker. Splendid as the Aga is, I can't fit everything in and it's occasionally useful to have something else - and, in the summer, I aim to turn the Aga off altogether. I've also, recently, bought a new, useful toy - I have nowhere in the house to dry more than a small amount of washing. If the weather isn't suitable to dry everything outdoors, it has to go in the tumble drier. But I found a firm that makes two-tier racks to sit on top of the Aga, plus an extra rail in front and - though it was expensive - I bought them all and they actually are very good. It's a bit of a faff to carefully fold each item and lay it on top, but I haven't used the tumble drier this year yet.
Later, I went and played on the Ups and Downs with Zerlina, Gus and Rufus and, after they had all gone home, I was tired out. I had a bath and came down again and couldn't really stay awake. Asked if I was hungry, I had to say I'd rather go straight to bed, which I did before 8.30 in the evening. The cooking did take a lot of effort, but I swung into action with energy and good cheer (the potatoes just didn't want to roast and I had to fry them into crispness in the end) and I was vastly grateful that LT took over all the jobs that weren't actual cooking - including hoovering, sorting out drinks, tidying, lighting fires ... honestly, he just cracked on and took all the burden - but, though I wasn't at all tired all day, I just unravelled by 7 o'clock. I'm old, darlings. I don't mind being old, I've always had a good many older friends and I've always appreciated them, but it can be a bit disconcerting to feel the age one actually is.
Anyway, the Baby Belling cooker not having quite come up to scratch in terms of potato roasting, I've ordered a new table-top cooker. Splendid as the Aga is, I can't fit everything in and it's occasionally useful to have something else - and, in the summer, I aim to turn the Aga off altogether. I've also, recently, bought a new, useful toy - I have nowhere in the house to dry more than a small amount of washing. If the weather isn't suitable to dry everything outdoors, it has to go in the tumble drier. But I found a firm that makes two-tier racks to sit on top of the Aga, plus an extra rail in front and - though it was expensive - I bought them all and they actually are very good. It's a bit of a faff to carefully fold each item and lay it on top, but I haven't used the tumble drier this year yet.
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